“Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.” (Matt. 19:14) The Amplified Bible says it like this, “Leave the children alone, and do not forbid them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven BELONGS TO SUCH AS THESE.” (Matt. 19:14) The Bible tells us that the children were brought to Jesus that He might put His hands on them and pray. Whoever was bringing the children, I would assume it was their mothers, just wanted Jesus to BLESS THEIR CHILDREN. The mothers, the parents, the ones responsible for the children were bringing them to Jesus because they wanted Jesus to bless them. They wanted Jesus to LAY HIS HANDS ON THEIR CHILDREN AND PRAY FOR THEM.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Prov. 22:6) This suggests that the initial command from the Lord calls for parents to actively devote and commit their children to a specific spiritual training, course of action — continually pleading in the presence of God and others, May what happens in the life of this young one ever magnify the greatness, worth, sufficiency, and saving power of our God. “Train up” may, therefore, be too weak of a translation and miss the real calling of consecration to spiritual and moral direction. Just to illustrate the importance of children in the kingdom, “…Jesus down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, “WHOEVER RECEIVES ONE OF THESE LITTLE CHILDREN IN MY NAME RECEIVES ME; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.” (Mark 9:35-37)
My very dear friends, this is what we have missed with OUR CHILDREN, what we somehow must restore, FOR HOW LONG??? “…the LORD your God has commanded you, to keep all His statutes and His commandments ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE, and that your days may be prolonged. The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall LOVE the LORD your God with ALL YOUR HEART, SOUL, and STRENGTH. “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall TEACH THEM DILIGENTLY TO YOUR CHILDREN, and shall TALK of them when you SIT in your house, when you WALK by the way, when you LIE DOWN, and when you RISE UP. You shall bind them as a SIGN on your hand, and they shall be as FRONTLETS between your eyes. You shall WRITE THEM on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deut. 6:1-2, 4-9)
PLEASE FORGIVE US FATHER FOR STRAYING SO FAR AWAY FROM THIS…
-Bill Stockham